This case is one of a pair of lawsuits filed against the Arizona Attorney General to challenge his practice of seizing money wire transferred to Mexico through Western Union. In an attempt to curtail the smuggling of undocumented immigrants by trafficking organizations (known as "coyotes") from Mexico to Arizona, the Arizona Attorney General had obtained warrants and seized millions of dollars of money that was wire transferred to Mexico. The Attorney General focused on amounts over $500, which were believed to have been sent as payments to Mexican smugglers who had transported people or drugs into Arizona.

On October 18, 2006, three individuals who claimed they had transferred money through Western Union for legitimate purposes but had their money seized by authorities brought this putative class-action lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona. They brought the complaint under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, alleging that the seizures violated their rights secured by the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments and the Commerce Clause of the United States Constitution. They sought declaratory and injunctive relief, as well as money damages. The case was assigned to Judge Stephen M. McNamee.

Plaintiffs' complaint was subsequently amended twice, but the substantive claims remained the same.

Subsequently, plaintiffs filed a Motion for Class Certification. On March 31, 2010, the court denied plaintiffs' motion for class certification, Torres v. Goddard, No. CV 06-2482-PHX-SMM, 2010 WL 3023272 (D. Ariz. July 30, 2010), and the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit then denied plaintiffs' permission to immediately appeal the court's ruling.

Plaintiffs filed a motion for summary judgment and defendants' filed a cross-motion for summary judgment. On September 4, 2012, the court granted defendants' motion, finding that defendants were entitled to absolute immunity. Torres v. Horne, No. CV-06-2482-PHX-SMM, 2012 WL 3818974 (D. Ariz. Sept. 4, 2012). The case was therefore dismissed.

Plaintiffs then appealed to the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit [Docket Number: 12-17096]. On July 15, 2016, the panel affirmed in part and reversed in part the district court’s summary judgment. The panel was made up of Judge Stephen Reinhardt, Judge Alex Kozinski, and Judge Jay S. Bybee. The Ninth Circuit found that, although defendants did have qualified immunity in regard to some actions, they did not have absolute immunity over all of their actions. The case was remanded back to the district court. Torres v. Goddard, 793 F.3d 1046 (9th Cir. 2015)

On July 1, 2016, the district court ruled in favor of defendants again, holding that defendants had qualified immunity for the acts for which they did not have absolute immunity, and dismissed the case. Torres v. Goddard, 194 F. Supp. 3d 886 (D. Ariz. 2016). Plaintiffs once more appealed the case to the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

On June 25, 2018, the Ninth Circuit affirmed the district court’s opinion. Due to Judge Reinhardt’s death and Judge Kozinski’s retirement, the panel was made up of Judge Jacqueline Nguyen, Judge John Owens, and Judge Jay S. Bybee. Torres v. Goddard, No. 16-16315, 2018 WL 3099433 (9th Cir. June 25, 2018).

As of July 2018, the Ninth Circuit’s most recent opinion has yet to be filed with the district court, as the last entries in the district court docket are from 2016. Unless plaintiffs try to have the case heard before the Supreme Court of the United States, the case is likely closed.

Dan Dalton - 09/17/2007
Jennifer Bronson - 11/27/2013
Rebecca Strauss - 07/13/2018


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